“Ben, I Just Want to Say One Word to You: Plastics.” “The Graduate,” 1967

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March 28, 2018

Major themes featured in our magazines this month include ecology, clean energy, organic and healthy eating and sustainable living…basically “living green” as much as we can. At a time when environmental protections have, among many things, shown great results in cleaner air here in Southern California (I still remember my kids complaining of chest pains when they played outside on smoggy days​)​, there is increased pressure form polluting industries to halt or even reverse those gains.

Since we are a community magazine and apolitical in our editorial approach, perhaps we can focus locally on impacting the planet a little less and treating ourselves with a bit more care. Eliminating plastic bags in stores in California (although 10 cents for a paper bag really annoys me) and plastic straws and utensils in Malibu may not sound like much, but it really is a big deal. Think of all the plastic debris that gets into the ocean and our waterways and the damage it does to that environment. So maybe today’s Benjamin may not have such a great future in plastics.

Is eating organic food better for you than dining on pesticide-coated veggies or a feed-lot steak filled with antibiotics and hormones? “Duh!!!” as Homer Simpson would say.

If we place solar panels on the roof of our house, will it look not quite as good as before? Maybe. But so what, if it decreases the use of fossil fuel and eventually pays for itself? So be proud of those funky looking panels.

The Toyota Prius always looked to me like a reject from a Jetsons cartoon. So what! If you want more class, read about the all-electric Mercedes-Benz B250 Electric Drive or the Mercedes-Benz S550e luxury plug-in hybrid. Like Flip Wilson said when he played the Geraldine character, “If you got it, flaunt it.” Save the planet in style.

Take care of your body and take care of the world around you. This may sound somewhat weird and personal, but I make sure to drop my used dental floss into the trash rather than the toilet so the string does not eventually find its way into the ocean. It’s a little thing but I feel good abut it. The fact is that humans have impacted our planet negatively for millennia. The little things we do add up. Let’s make those little things matter.